Cooper-Dyke to be new women’s coach at Texas Southern

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke stepped down Tuesday as women’s basketball coach at North Carolina-Wilmington and is expected to assume the same position at Texas Southern, pending approval by the TSU Board of Regents.

Cynthia Cooper-Dyke led Prairie View to two NCAA Tournament appearances before heading east to UNC-Wilmington. (Butch Dill/AP)

Cooper-Dyke, who led TSU rival Prairie View A&M from 2005-10, will likely be announced as the Tigers’ next coach Friday. She will replace Yolanda Wells-Broughton, who resigned last Friday after going 33-88 in four seasons.

“Cynthia is our sole finalist,” said TSU athletic director Charles McClelland, who hired Cooper-Dyke in 2005 when he was athletic director at Prairie View. “Upon final approval, Cynthia will be our next head coach at Texas Southern University.”

Cooper-Dyke, a basketball Hall of Famer and former WNBA star with the Houston Comets, leaves UNC-Wilmington after leading the Seahawks to a 44-22 record and a pair of Women’s National Invitation Tournament appearances in two seasons. She was named Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year after directing UNC-Wilmington to a 24-9 mark and second-place regular-season conference finish in 2010-11, which ended with the Seahawks’ first postseason appearance and victory. This past season, the Seahawks finished 20-13 and ended their run in the first round of the WNIT.

“We appreciate everything Cynthia has done for the program and wish her the very best as she returns home,” UNC-Wilmington athletic director Jimmy Bass said in a release on the school’s website. “She coached our teams to over 40 wins in two seasons and a pair of post-season berths. I’m sure she will continue that legacy of success in Houston.” Cooper-Dyke, who will turn 49 Saturday, did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday evening.

Before taking over at UNC-Wilmington, Cooper-Dyke coached Prairie View A&M to an 86-72 record and four postseason appearances, including the program’s first two NCAA Tournament bids, in five seasons. She led the Panthers to three Southwestern Athletic Conference regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles, winning SWAC Coach-of-the-Year honors in 2007 and 2009.